Philosophy – Etched in Gold

Philosophy – Etched in Gold

Saikrit Gulati, Chandigarh. Tel.7743098455

The summer is approaching. The flowers have begun to bloom. The mercury has started to soar. And, to add to it all, the market of fruits near my house has brought back the mangoes on the shelves. For people who love the summers, such a narrative is enough to satiate the taste buds.

Thinking about this, I cannot help but reminisce about an old anecdote from the annals of Akbar and Birbal’s astonishingly witty tales narrates a time when Akbar asked his courtiers about the best season on the Planet Earth. While everyone went about naming different seasons, it was his prized Birbal who stood out and told Akbar that a season is the best only with a filled stomach. A man with a hungry stomach will find every season to be extreme and very piercing.

For me, this story carries an interesting meaning- that related to mangoes. For there is no other fruit or food which can so accurately define an entire season. Just as the scientific name of mangoes as Mangifera indica explains the craze for the king of fruits in India, its position as the emperor of fruits is unrivalled. As the spring of March approaches, if not all, most people prepare for the festivities of the upcoming summer. Festivities in a sense- the festival of mangoes. Summers are undoubtedly a dry season, with few festivals and even fewer activities to do. However, for me, summers are defined by juicy, delicious mangoes. It is finally the time for redemption after a mango-less winter.

While I do agree that both summers and winters are important for the natural scheme and cycle of things, it is our innate nature to be inclined and biased towards one of the seasons. As Birbal diplomatically orated, each season is good with a satiated stomach. Each season carries its own natural beauty. While the flowers bloom in spring, the mangoes ripen in summers and the parched Earth can quench its thirst in the monsoons. To conclude the season, the winters bring a certain sense of heartening relief from the tremendous temperatures of the past. In short, it is conspicuous that a country like India has been blessed with such incredible diversity of the seasons that we are spoilt for choice and face the problem of plenty.

However, restoring this article to its original topic about the king of fruits, mangoes, the unrivalled and inimitable position of the mangoes is never up for grabs because of the unbreakable bond that Indians have with mangoes. To me, the unmatchable position of mangoes is, also, a conspicuous consequence of the fact that it is not readily available. As we say, anything is of great value only if one has to strive hard for it. One has to go through the entire metamorphosis of seasons in order to strike golden mangoes. Doesn’t this have a lesson in itself? Excess of anything is bad, for it leads to jejune value and diminishing of its importance. Undoubtedly, the delectable mangoes, also, find a companion in philosophy as they impart to us the lessons that good things do come to those who wait for it.

Note: Views are personal.